


Set Me Free

by Museohmuse



Series: Sterek Week 2K14 [4]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Day 4, Established Relationship, M/M, Makeup, Sterek Week, Truth Spells
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-27
Updated: 2014-06-27
Packaged: 2018-02-06 11:53:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1857087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Museohmuse/pseuds/Museohmuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Stiles ignored Derek's jab, and smiled tightly at Deaton. 'Thank you for your valuable information,' he said, trying to sound as gracious as possible. 'I hope you get your hand stuck up a dog's asshole.' And, well, that was short-lived."</p><p>--</p><p>Or, Another Truth Spell Trope Fic</p>
            </blockquote>





	Set Me Free

**Author's Note:**

> Sterek Week day 4! Halfway there!
> 
> This was hard to right because ANGST and FIGHTING but I'm glad with the end result. 
> 
> still not beta read!

"Oh, you are _kidding_ me," Stiles snapped. "If I didn't respect you as much as I did - albeit grudgingly - I would think you were lying to me just to secure Derek's mental stability." 

Stiles slapped his hand to his mouth, closing his eyes to see if being blinded would make this all just disappear. 

When he opened his eyes, Derek and Deaton were staring at him, the former with his unique mix of disinterest and amusement and the latter with his usual toxic blandness. "What is really going on?" Stiles continued evenly. "And don't do that stupid thing when you try and be cryptic and make us discover it for ourselves because I don't have the time or patience and it makes you look like you don't know what's going on." And that was definitely Stiles' cue to stop talking forever. 

"It's a truth spell," Deaton repeated after a humiliating beat of silence, "plain and simple."

"How?" Derek ask shortly. Stiles glared at Derek and his ability to keep his speech short and simple. Must have been all his practice not talking to anyone for the past couple years, that taciturn _idiot_. 

Derek's sharp glare made Stiles realize that he had said all of that out loud, but Stiles really couldn't find himself to care. 

"Didn't you guys have an informal run in with a coven a couple days ago?" 

"I wouldn't say 'we,'" Derek said. "Stiles decided it would be a good idea to engage one of the witches in a so called 'play date' like she doesn't have magic powers that could leave him incapacitated in a split second." Stiles snorted, opening his mouth to cut in, but Derek continued, "I wish I could be more surprised by his idiotic behavior, but this is pretty par for the course." 

"You have got some fucking nerve, Hale," Stiles hissed. "Always acting like you're some kind of loose canon, going out to battle like you don't have a family that you can rely on, a family that is looking to you for guidance. And you just throw all that away, and for what? To make sure none of your other perfectly capable betas will get hurt?" 

"Deaton!" Derek growled, shouting over the tail-end of Stiles' diatribe. "How do we fix it?" 

"Usually these spells work in a very contrived manner; in this case, the truth will set you free." Deaton squinted at Stiles and Derek, who both released similar sounds of disgust. "The witch you talk with must have noticed there was some trouble in paradise, Stiles."

"So basically he couldn't keep his trap shut," Derek drawled. "Big surprise there." 

Stiles wished he could be more upset about Derek's harsh words, but they were warranted, reluctant as he was to admit it. Stiles knew that his and Derek's relationship were not on solid ground. Though they were valiantly in going forth with a long-distance relationship during Stiles' first year at college, Stiles knew he wasn't alone in feeling that sometimes, it wasn't worth the effort. 

Much to his despair, Stiles found himself wishing that they had stayed together as friends - well, friends with benefits, because sex with Derek was too good to just give up. They had operated better with casual terms; if it hadn't been for the damn feelings that came about during Stiles' junior year in high school, that was probably the course they would have taken. 

Stiles ignored Derek's jab, and smiled tightly at Deaton. "Thank you for your valuable information," he said, trying to sound as gracious as possible. "I hope you get your hand stuck up a dog's asshole." And, well, that was short-lived. 

Deaton didn't seem to take any offense, bowing his head slightly and retiring to his office, leaving Derek and Stiles to stare at each other like they were ticking time bombs. 

"You know the weird thing about this?" Stiles asked suddenly. When Derek quirked his eyebrow at him to continue, Stiles said, "These are all things I would have told you without the influence of magic." He snorted. "That girl's heart was in the right place, but she had no idea how willing I am to tell the truth." 

"Or maybe this was just her way of making us talk about - us," Derek blurted, then looked extremely put out that he even opened his mouth. 

"And you think we need to talk about us?" Stiles challenged with a raised eyebrow. 

"You don't?" Derek returned, crossing his arms pointedly. Stiles knew Derek's body language extremely well by this point; they both knew that however menacing it looked, it was really Derek's big tell of discomfort. 

"Let's go back home," Stiles said eventually. "I refuse to do this in a cramped room saturated with the smell of various animal shit." 

"At least you don't have my senses," Derek muttered. 

"Yeah, I'm pretty damn happy for it," Stiles snapped. "And stop acting like a victim, you know how to block your senses like a big wolf-boy."

"You don't always have to sound so proud about not being a werewolf," Derek grumbled, following Stiles out the door to his jeep. 

"Oh my God," Stiles cried, spinning around to face Derek. "You _know_ how I feel about being a werewolf, don't try and act all sullen and make it personal!" 

"I know how you feel about it, it doesn't mean that makes it stop stinging any less!" For once, Stiles clamped his mouth shut, not even sure how to respond. 

"This isn't even what I wanted to fight about," Derek said around a strained laugh. "Just get in the damn car so we can go home and get this stupid spell out of our system." 

Stiles climbed into the jeep, starting it up easily (which was a feat, after all the stress Stiles put it through) and pulling out of the parking lot. 

If Stiles was held a gunpoint and the only way he could save his life would be to answer what he missed most while he was in college, Stiles would be hard-pressed to choose between Derek and his jeep. His jeep had been there with him through the thick and thin, his bizarre puberty from boy to boy who knows about werewolves and other things that go bump in the night. 

Okay, so maybe Derek had been with him through those things too, on a more personal, significantly realistic level. But somehow the jeep was a crutch Stiles could use: in physical fights, fights with friends, fights with Derek. 

Also, there was no replacing the jeep's abilities to take him to Arby's when he was craving curly fries. 

"It's amazing that you have this truth spell on you, and you're letting it go to waste by staying silent for one of the few times in your life." Derek's observation came from out of nowhere, and Stiles wasn't sure if he wanted to poke Derek for more of his opinions, or to inject him with wolfsbane. 

"I'm sorry, were you interested in starting our screaming match sooner rather than later? Because I was thinking that you didn't want to be exhausted by my truth bombs."

"Oh, and you know so well what I want?" 

Stiles threw an incredulous look at Derek. " _Yes_ , you idiot!" he basically screeched. "And I'm one of the few damn people who do, so don't try and belittle the progress I've made to get to this point!" 

"Well, you didn't have to," Derek rushed to say. "No one made you dissect me until you were so sure you could predict my every move."

"Of course no one did!" Stiles said, screeching to a halt outside the house. "I wouldn't wish that task on our worst enemy!" He hopped out of his jeep, slamming the door shut as hard as he could, glad that his jeep could withstand the unnecessary roughness. 

"But you just had to persist, didn't you?" Derek demanded, easily catching up with Stiles despite his longer, agitated strides. "I was just another mystery on your board to solve. Now my string is frayed and you're just waiting for the scissors."

" _God_ , you sorry asshole," Stiles sighed, pushing open the front door. "Do you have to make everything so damn depressing? I mean, I know that the past couple years have been the happiest you've experienced since the fire, but you still make a special effort to keep dragging yourself down! What the hell for? You think you're too fucking good for a nice life?"

"I don't know, Stiles!" Derek replied, slamming the door shut behind him. "You tell me if you think it's fair that the idiotic teenager who caused the death of his entire family because he wouldn't stop thinking with his dick should live a nice and long life!" 

"You keep living in the past!" Stiles shouted, slamming his keys down on the kitchen counter. "The family you grew up with is _gone_ , Derek. And no matter how much I want, I cannot bring them back." He reached out and grabbed Derek's hand, pushing it against his chest, knowing that Derek could feel and hear his racing heart. 

"But this family, our family, is right here," Stiles whispered. "And you have got to stop pushing us away because we may not be the same, we may not look or act or respond like your family did. But we still love you just as much." 

"And do you?" Derek murmured, curling his fingers in Stiles' shirt. "Love me?" 

Stiles exhaled wetly, putting his hand over Derek's. "I love you so much, I can't put it in words." Derek shuddered, taking a deep breath as he shoulders relaxed. "I just want to throttle it into you, you big idiot."

"Even if we suck at being in a relationship?" Derek continued, his eyes bright when he met Stiles' gaze. 

Stiles chuckled, the noise coming out like a sob. " _Especially_ because we suck at being in a relationship." Stiles moved his other hand to cup the back of Derek's neck and pull his forehead so it rested against his. "I hate that this year sucked for us, and I hate being so far away. But I love knowing that no matter where I am, I can come back to you."

Derek huffed, rubbing his cheek against Stiles' and making that weird purring sound he denies ever makes an appearance. "I love how romantic you can be." 

"Well, you're so easy for it," Stiles teased, pulling at Derek's hair. 

"No, I'm easy for you," Derek growled, moving his hands to wrap around Stiles' back and bring him flush against his body. "And I will be easy for you for a very long time."

Stiles' heart stuttered, and a grin a mile long stretched across his face. "Even when I'm old and saggy?"

Derek's hands spread along Stiles' back, skimming down to cup Stiles' ass and _squeeze_. "I'll make sure you don't get old and saggy, don't worry about that." 

Stiles laughed, cupping Derek's cheeks in his hands and kissing him soundly. "So we're good?" he asked, rubbing circles in Derek's scruff with his thumbs. 

"We're going to be," Derek replied soundly, his voice rumbling right into Stiles' chest. 

"Good," Stiles said, "because I really feel we should take this truth spell into the bedroom and see what it makes you say about my ass." 

It wasn't until Stiles' shriek of laughter when Derek lifted him in his arms to pad into the bedroom that Stiles realized, like Derek said, they were going to be just fine.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/comments are always appreciated!
> 
> As always, you can hit me up on tumblr as savethestiles!


End file.
